Background: "Flexible thinking" to permit release of all terrorists?

Aaron Lerner Date: 10 April 2007

Remarks by members of the ruling coalition in Israel regarding the need for
"flexible thinking" and "case-by-case" examination of Palestinians being
held by Israel with "blood on their hands" raises the possibility that
literally all terrorists may be released.

Terrorists who planned and ordered "successful" attacks could be released
because, technically, they do not have "blood on their hands" because they
did not personally either pull the trigger or blow up the bomb - the
operation was only "successful" because other Palestinians executed their
orders. Supporters of such an approach can always note that many of the
personalities in the PA today also have "blood on their hands" for ordering
"successful" attacks in the past.

Since many of the attacks involved suicide bombings, the terrorists who
actually executed the attack are frequently not alive.

Terrorists who executed "successful" attacks could be released because they
were following the orders of others and were under various forms of duress
to complete their missions (it is possible to concoct all kinds of
explanations that failing to carry out the orders would have had dire
consequences for their families).

Please note that the term "successful" attack is emphasized here because it
has been a consistent policy of Israel that someone who plans and executes
an attack that fails to succeed does not have "blood on his hands" and thus
qualifies for release in prisoner release deals.

Thus someone involved in an attack that was designed to murder scores of
Israelis qualifies for release under what cynics term the "if first you don't
succeed try, try again" principle.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il